The third day of the month of Hengraad was, as usual, a time of great celebration for the Ilios Kingdom. It was the fifth month of the calendar year and Summer was in full swing, but in spite of the heat, in cities all across the kingdom the streets were packed with crowds. Street vendors sold small reproductions of the Kingdom standard of a golden sun on a red backdrop. 

By law, all major shops were closed today with the exception of inns and restaurants, and even they had to let their employees off before the sun touched the horizon. The city guards were the only people not off today. They could be seen out in force to keep the peace and order in the streets. At night there would be fireworks, and in some of the bigger cities mages would put on dazzling displays of fire and light in the sky.

Such an event was scheduled for the prominent Sovereign Guard Shaman Academy. Classes had been cancelled and many students were preparing for the festival that evening. The girls were picking out their best Summer dresses, and some of the boys were trying to score a last minute date. A few of the mischievous older students had smuggled in a bit of wine and were passing it out among their friends. Almost every student, whether first year or soon to be graduate, was looking forward to the festivities tonight.

Talin Greymarch however, was not. He was currently being held under the water at Misty Lake, a large body of water on the academy's expansive grounds. The boys around him snickered and laughed as he was repeatedly dunked under the water.

"Where is it?" A harsh voice demanded.

Talin groggily looked up at the boy yelling at him. He spit a bit of water out of his mouth, then said, "What?"

"The Vermillion-veined Heart Grass! The thing I've been asking you about. Have you gone dumb from drinking too much lake water?" The boy, Doyle, Talin thought his name was, grabbed him by the collar and shook it hard while saying this.

Talin took a breath and slowly said, "Don't know what you're talking about." At this point he kicked his feet and finally managed to get some leverage and hooked a leg behind Doyle's back leg. When he straightened his body, Doyle tried to take a step back to re-balance himself but couldn't because Talin's leg was in the way. Doyle reeled backwards and fell into the water loosening his grip on Talin as he flailed about. A few things he learned from his father were pretty useful.

Talin didn't waste a second and he tried darting away. Unfortunately, He was knee deep in water and the boys on the shore weren't. They easily got ahead of him and blocked his way. One of them angrily raised a fist.

"Stop!"

There was still one boy on the shore observing this scene. He was the one who shouted this out. Richard Leondus, the one who had started this whole thing.  He was slightly taller than all of the other boys with light brown hair and gray eyes.

"No hitting. Bruises leave evidence." He gave a small sigh. "Anyways, that's enough. He's not going to give in, and this is a waste of time we could spend looking ourselves."

Doyle looked a bit unwilling but immediately acquiesced. The elders of his clan had instructed him to follow Richard and stay on his good side. Richard was the son of a high ranking general, and in the future he would wield wealth and power. The elder’s wanted to make sure he was a part of that future so he listened to whatever Richard said.

Richard spoke up again looking at Talin, "I'm not done with you though. I'll remember this." Then he walked off the other boys following.

Doyle pushed Talin, who fell back down into the lake water before pushing himself up. He stared daggers at Richard's back as their party left. They went off further along the lake splitting off at Richard's directions, searching high and low for the Vermillion-veined Heart Grass.

 Talin watched them for a few minutes, breathing deeply, trying to quell his pent up rage and frustration at his powerlessness. He swore a silent vow in his heart for what had to be the millionth time that he would get stronger. Strong like the heroes sung of in songs and talked about in legends. No one would dare to look down on him then.

Glaring at Richard one last time, he turned around and started down the trail leading back to the school.

He walked a good distance, and when he was out of sight around the first bend in the trail another boy walked out of the woods. He was taller than Talin by a head and lanky, with shaggy red hair and bright green eyes. He had high cheekbones and a large nose that was neither thick nor thin. This was Rodrick Thespen, Talin's best friend.

Earlier, Talin and Rodrick found the Vermilion-veined Heart Grass after searching the woods around the lake. Unfortunately, Richard had seen Talin with the grass and shouted at him to hand it over. The only lucky break was that Rodrick was still in the woods and had not been seen.  Talin managed to hand the grass off to Rodrick before Richard got much closer. He then lead Richard and the others on a wild goose chase with an empty burlap before eventually getting caught.

"I'm sorry, Talin, I wanted to help, but there were just too many. I wouldn't have made any difference." Rodrick looked a bit ashamed.

"It's a good thing you didn't." Talin's breathing had returned to normal, though his body still ached from exhaustion. "Then they would have gotten hold of you and the grass. What rotten luck! What does Richard need this grass for so urgently anyways? Can't he just get his father to buy him some?"

Rodrick passed over a rough burlap sack that had bits of green stalk poking out the top. "True. Is this even worth all the trouble though?" He asked doubtfully.

"It may be the only way for me to avoid getting expelled. I am only a step away from completing the Soul Forming stage, but the deadline is a week and a half away. If I don't get some outside help, I won't make it."

"Not what I meant…” Rodrick paused. “ Is staying in the academy really worth all this? Getting bullied by Richard and his goons. Almost getting drowned to death in the lake, just for a pill that will barely let you stay in school by the skin of your teeth. You could still get into a decent warrior school or martial art dojo if you left. You're pretty smart, you might make a good mage." Rodrick blurted all this out at once, finally voicing that he did not understand why Talin was so determined to keep cultivating as a Shaman.

Talin looked at Rodrick seriously. He had thought of giving up on soul cultivation. There were other cultivation paths one could take to earn great strength, but every time he thought about that, he remembered the words his father had told him before he left home, then he would steel his resolve and continue. Talin finally opened his mouth and said, "I don't want to."

He then started walking towards the academy. Rodrick gave him a strange look. Was this even a valid reason? He finally shook his head and caught up to Talin. Talin wasn't in the mood to talk so the two passed the time in silence.